As covenants in US and European private credit become weakened from an increasing flow of lending capital, asset allocators and managers are eyeing Asia as the next frontier due to its relatively untapped yet sizable market. At FIS Singapore, investors unpacked the region's complexity premium and why a local approach is essential.
Allocators are interrogating their private markets investments more rigorously as institutional investors question whether unlisted asset classes are entering an era of “true alpha” where managers skills are put to test. This trend is especially salient in private equity, and at FIS Singapore, asset owners and managers weighed the thesis around the asset class.
Investors need to start demanding that governments act with more fiscal discipline as ballooning debts on sovereign balance sheets around the world approach a breaking point, MFS Investments, one of the world’s oldest asset managers, said at FIS Singapore.
Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System says its allocation to digital assets has become the best-performing investment in the fund’s history. The $6.3 billion pension plan first invested in blockchain infrastructure and digital assets through venture funds in 2019, and early distributions are now beginning to arrive.
Canadian pension investor IMCO is bracing for higher inflation and a weaker US dollar in 2026, as the $62 billion fund said investors need to protect diversification and liquidity in a volatile environment and be wary of risks in passive investments. In a podcast, chief strategist Nick Chamie unpacked the asset allocation insights, which were released in the annual IMCO World View paper, in conversation with Top1000funds.com editor Amanda White.
Investors are watching conflict in the Middle East closely as inflationary pressures begin to build beneath the surface. One of the challenges for many investors is reduced exposure to the hedging benefits of fossil fuels in listed, and private markets.
Scott Chan is shocked the market hasn’t reacted more to the crisis emanating from the conflict in the Middle East. But the CalSTRS' CIO is confident its one fund approach allows it to position dynamically and ensure diversification no matter what is presented.
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FIS 2026 at Raffles Singapore